Naturopath for menopause
Menopause is not a disease. It’s a stage of life.
It’s a new chapter in life.
Menopause can take up half of a woman’s life, and it’s the stage where women have an enormous capacity for creativity, manifestation and personal growth.
Menopause is when women become more assertive, better at setting boundaries and personal development and career goals, especially if this time coincides with an empty nest.
Your hormones aren’t necessarily out of balance. It’s about making the transition without too many symptoms and disruption to the quality of your life. This is where things can get a little tricky, with many of my clients trying over the counter tablets and not getting much relief or support.
There is also an interesting dialogue around learning to cope with the symptoms cause it’s a part of the process. But, of course, this is not necessarily true, but more on that in a moment!
You’re not alone in this transition, and you can reach out and get help with the transition;
I see women in the clinic who are asymptomatic, and in other cases, women will experience every single symptom possible.
There can be a genetic link to symptoms, and so looking to your mother and what she experienced may be telling but not necessarily the same as what you will go through. Let’s take a closer look at the general facts.
Peri menopause
Peri-menopause can start as early as 30 years old, and the key thing here is to note that this doesn’t mean you can’t fall pregnant you still can. However, if you want to lose pregnantly, you might want to gain some support with that.
Hormones being to shift. It can last between 3 to 10 years, and one of the most common questions is.
How long will I be going through this? and there isn’t a simple answer.
Menopause what does it actually mean?
Eggs are no longer released from the ovaries
Oestrogen and progesterone production slows down
There’s no period for 12 months or 6 months with an elevated FSH
It typically occurs in the late 40’s early 50’s
Factors that can bring menopause on earlier
Chronic disease- Lupus, arthritis
Smoking
Trauma or emotional shock
Certain pharmaceutical medications
Excessive amounts of CHRONIC stress both physical and psychological
Sudden menopause due to hysterectomy
Early menopause happens at 45
Premature menopause occurs at age 40 or younger
Average age of menopause is 51
What is Post menopause?
It is the stage after you have not had your period for 12 consecutive months. Symptoms begin to ease at this time; there is also an increased risk for heart disease and osteoporosis.
Women who start menopause at 45-50 years have a lower rate of breast cancer, risk increases by 3% each year after. Oestrogen is a risk factor for breast cancer. This is useful to know if you have a family history, and there are many things you can do to ensure you’re protecting yourself from developing cancer.
One study has found that women who reach menopause at age 55 rather than 45 will have a 30% higher risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime.
So this is where it’s helpful to understand your health and reduce other factors.
What Symptoms are associated with Peri-menopause?
Changes in cycles
Flooding with periods
Hot flushes
Sleep disturbance
Mood swings
Dry, thinning skin
Hair thinning or loss
Trouble concentrating
Weight gain
Vaginal dryness
UTI’s (oestrogen tones muscles and the bladder is a muscle and so when you see a drop off in oestrogen, your bladder tends to become weaker and so you don’t get the same clearance of urine. Pelvic floor exercises are important.)
PMS symptoms are still possible.
What symptoms are associated with Menopause?
All of the above and the symptoms are generally more pronounced in this phase as the hormones continue to shift.
One of the main symptoms women are concerned with is their hair. This can become thinner and sparse. This is also a lot you can do about this symptom.
Hormones to be assessed and supported by your health care practitioner:
FSH
LH
Estrogen
Progesterone
TSH—master hormone in pituitary
Cortisol
DHEA’s — adrenal glands
Testosterone
ACTH—signals adrenals
All of these hormones should stay in sight as they can play a role in your health and wellbeing.
Elevated DHEA can lead to hair loss on the head and hair growth elsewhere. It’s considered the longevity hormone.
Testosterone is important for:
Oestrogen production
Important for libido
Maintains bone and muscle mass
It does continue after menopause but at low levels.
Naturopath for menopause — The therapeutic management
This is very individualised and depends on what your symptoms are and where your hormones are. So it’s important if you’ve had any pathology testing done or you’re already on synthetic hormones that you bring all of that information with you to your first session with your naturopath.
For now, you might choose to start working on some of the basic changes like:
#1 Avoid triggers spicy foods, hot drinks
#2 Drink cold liquids during a hot flush
#3 Avoid alcohol as it can trigger hot flushes
#4 Introduce calcium-rich foods to decrease bone loss.
#5 Reduce caffeine can potentiate hot flushes.
Therapeutic management— Lifestyle tips for you to explore
#2 Layering clothes
#3 Avoid warm climates—Winter snow holidays anyone?
#4 Regular exercise— resistance type exercise is very useful for supporting with the production of
certain hormones as well as helping with the bone density.
#5 Don’t smoke.
#6 Stress reduction— Yoga, meditation, art therapy. Now’s the time to get creative!
#7 Maintain a healthy weight—Key for both your heart health as well as managing symptoms.
Common Herbal remedies used in my natural health clinic
I can’t stress enough how important it is to have your hormones tested and have a clear idea of your current levels before employing herbs and other nutraceuticals. Over the counter supplements aren’t all created equal and you can end up taking products that cause more imbalance in your body.
Black cohosh
Some evidence and research shows that it significantly reduces menopausal symptoms and hot flushes
Rhubarb
Extract of rhubarb root— 4mg orally daily for 3-27 months has been found to be useful for many symptoms including sex drive
Sage
Has been found to decrease hot flushes
St Johns wort
Can be very useful for mood swings and low mood and energy. It has a lot of contraindications so seek professional advice before taking this one.
Valerian
If sleep is an issue this is a common herb to support with that.
Vitamin D
Key for helping with bone density, and immune system support as well as mood and energy.
Bio-identical Hormones
Something to consider as we can certainly discuss pros and cons in relation to this one.
There are still some risks with bio-identical hormones and cancer. So you should know that, but they have been shown effective at reducing menopausal symptoms and in clients where there is a real compromise to the quality of life, these can offer some relief.
As I wrap up this post I want to remind you that this isn’t a condition it’s a transition to a new phase of your life. In the change there are so many wonderful positive things waiting for you. Even if it doesn’t seem the case right now.
For many of my beautiful clients it’s a time to connect with the creative parts of them, the parts that may have been left in the time before they had their family.
Natural Health Clinic Sydney
You don’t have to struggle through alone. If you have any questions you can book a complimentary 15 minute appointment with me below. I look forward to chatting to you soon.